Fred Seibert Is Stepping Down From His Namesake Company Frederator

There’s been a round of corporate musical chairs at Wow! Unlimited Media, the Toronto-based media company.

Fred Seibert, 68, the veteran entrepreneur and animation producer, is leaving amid a reorganization. His last day will be November 27, 2020.

Here are the details:

• Seibert has resigned as a director and the chief creative officer of Wow, and also as CEO of its subsidiary Frederator Networks, which produces and distributes animation. He is returning to independent production.
• Michael Hirsh and Neil Chakravarti, CEO and COO of Wow respectively, are taking over as CEO and COO of Frederator. Seibert will stay on as executive producer of current Frederator shows Castlevania (image at top) and Bee and Puppycat, and intends to partner with the company on future projects.
• A former president of Hanna-Barbera, Seibert founded Frederator in 1997. His influential shorts incubator programs have resulted in numerous series, including Nickelodeon’s The Fairly Oddparents and Fanboy & Chum Chum and Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time.
• Frederator also distributes animation through a vast network of online channels, mostly aggregating content from other producers.
• Wow was formed in 2016 after Frederator was bought by Canada’s Rainmaker Entertainment, which was then rebranded as Mainframe Studios. Frederator and Mainframe were established as subsidiaries of Wow. During the pandemic, the company announced plans to double its animation workforce by harnessing remote working.
• Seibert said, “I’m happy to have brought Frederator into the Wow family where I know it will continue to grow and thrive. I am looking forward to returning to my roots as an independent cartoon producer who’s constantly searching — and finding! — unique talents with original voices.”
• Hirsh added, “As we look to the future, we will continue to provide fans with beloved Frederator franchises, alongside new and exciting content from the over 3,000-strong Channel Frederator Network. We wish Fred the best in his next, independent venture, and look forward to continuing to work with him on projects we know our fans will love as we drive dynamic growth in the business.”